The present invention relates to an improved flooring bed comprising sleepers which are formed of studs, containment guides consisting of floor clips and leveling means consisting of cushioning pads.
Sleeper systems are frequently used to secure a floor to a base floor. Typically, the base floor is concrete while the floor is tongue and groove wood boards. The dimensions of the wood changes as the moisture content of the wood changes. This can cause buckling or cupping.
In order to limit moisture transfer between the concrete and the wood floor, it is desirable to elevate or separate the floor from the concrete.
Another typical feature of concrete floor is that they have a wavy surface formed by the concrete not being perfectly level when drying. In order to overcome transfer of these waves to the wood flooring, a certain amount of vertical shifting is required of the sleepers.
Various attempts have been made to provide a sleeper structure capable of satisfying these needs without total success. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,387,422 (Wanzer); 4,831,806 (Niese, et al.); and 4,856,250 (Gronau, et al.) are three such attempts. Wanzer simply uses a moisture barrier over the base floor over which boards 16 are attached. Niese, et al. utilize a pair of sub-floors 12, 13 laid in a bias on the base floor. Gronau, et al. utilize elongated metal guide ways to partially encapsulate the nailing bed 30.
The instant invention has as its object to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art devices noted above.
Another object of the invention is to provide a sleeper which presents a stable yet resilient support for flooring.
Another object of the invention is to provide a sleeper arrangement which controls the effect of moisture variations in the flooring.
Another object of the invention is to provide a multi-functional pad which offers two stage resiliency which helps to justify unlevel concrete.
Another object of the invention is to provide a clip which holds the sleeper snug to the concrete which eliminates dead spots and buckling due to humidity.